Flight data monitoring and validation

1. A computer-implemented flight data monitoring method comprising:

receiving input flight data captured by an on-board recorder of an aircraft;

performing flight data validation on the input flight data to generate validated flight data; and

performing flight data analysis on the validated flight data to detect at least one predetermined type of flight event;

wherein the input flight data comprises a set of parameters sampled at time intervals providing a series of data values for each parameter; and

the flight data validation comprises a repeating pattern test for detecting occurrences of a repeating signal pattern in data values of a parameter of the input flight data based on a comparison of a first set of data values of said parameter of the input flight data with a subsequent set of data values of said parameter of the input flight data.

2. The flight data monitoring method according to claim 1 , wherein the input flight data comprises a set of parameters sampled at time intervals providing a series of data values for each parameter.

3. The flight data monitoring method according to claim 2 , wherein a data value or parameter which fails the flight data validation is identified as invalid.

4. The flight data monitoring method according to claim 3 , wherein the flight data analysis excludes data values or a parameter identified as invalid by the flight data validation.

5. The flight data monitoring method according to claim 2 , wherein the flight data validation comprises at least one of:

(a) a spike detection test for detecting spikes in the data values of a parameter of the input flight data;

(b) a range comparison test for determining whether data values of a parameter of the input flight data are within a predetermined range;

(c) a correlation test for determining a degree of matching between an actual relationship between two or more parameters of the input flight data and an expected relationship between the two or more parameters;

(d) a sampling rate analysis test for determining whether an actual sampling rate of a parameter of the input flight data substantially matches an expected sampling rate for that parameter;

(e) a change detection test for determining whether a parameter of the input flight data demonstrates an expected change of value;

(f) a noise detection test for determining whether a noise level of data values of a parameter of the input flight data exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

(g) an expected value test for determining whether data values of a parameter of the input flight data have an expected value or a value within an expected range.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing at least one computer program which, when executed on a computer, controls the computer to perform the method of claim 1 .

7. A computer-implemented flight data monitoring system for monitoring input flight data captured by an on-board recorder of an aircraft, the flight data monitoring system comprising:

flight data validation circuitry configured to perform data validation processing on the input flight data to generate validated flight data; and

flight data analysis circuitry configured to analyse the validated flight data to detect at least one predetermined type of event;

wherein the input flight data comprises a set of parameters sampled at time intervals providing a series of data values for each parameter; and

the flight data analysis circuitry is configured to perform a repeating pattern test for detecting occurrences of a repeating signal pattern in data values of a parameter of the input flight data based on a comparison of a first set of data values of said parameter of the input flight data with a subsequent set of data values of said parameter of the input flight data.